Palestinian Khader Adnan has died in an Israeli prison after an 87-day hunger strike, Israeli prison authorities announced.
Israel’s prison service said Adnan had been charged with “involvement in terrorist activities” but had refused medical treatment while legal proceedings moved forward. It said he was found unconscious in his cell early Tuesday and transferred to a hospital where he was declared dead.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad said in a statement: “Our fight is continuing and the enemy will realise once again that its crimes will not pass without a response. Resistance will continue by all might and determination.”
Shortly after, sirens rang out in Israeli Gaza border communities, sending residents running for shelter. The Israeli military confirmed that three rockets fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israeli territory fell in open areas.
Adnan, who was affiliated with the Palestinian militant Islamic Jihad group, had undertaken five hunger strikes since 2004, including a 55-day strike in 2015 to protest against his arrest under so-called administrative detention, in which suspects are held indefinitely without charge or trial.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners Association, Adnan had been detained by Israel 12 times, spending around eight years in prison, mostly under administrative detention.
Israel is holding over 1,000 Palestinian detainees without charge or trial, the highest number since 2003, according to the Israeli human rights group HaMoked.
The government says the controversial tactic helps authorities thwart attacks and hold dangerous militants without divulging incriminating material for security reasons. Palestinians and rights groups say the system is widely abused and denies due process, with the secret nature of the evidence making it impossible for administrative detainees or their lawyers to mount a defence.
Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report
